Earth 49 - The Dresden Verse
by Belmuar
Summary: Inspired by Dresden Codak's DC Reboot. Earth-49. Located along the "Hope" and "Light" arc of the multiverse map, north of the Kirby Axis, just outside the Lee/Kirby binary, in the order/pinnacle quadrant, this Earth is known for being more grounded, but more diverse and hopeful. The heroes of this Earth are more willing to fight for the social causes of their world.
1. Justice League Issue 1

**Justice League Issue #1**

"Superman: Hero or Menace!"

Clark looked at the newspaper with a disappointed gaze. The Daily Planet was one of the few media outlets he still trusted, but that doesn't mean Clark avoided the competition completely. Ma and Pa Kent raised him to always look at both sides of an issue. Though Clark had grown to find that way of thinking misleading, he still found himself browsing other news sources from time-to-time. If nothing else, it was good to keep an eye on what his competitors were doing.

Lex News was not exactly what Kent would call high quality reporting. Their bias was pretty clear. And they wanted everyone to know what they think of the "so-called Superman." To be fair, Lois Lane had come up with the name. Clark always felt it was a little too self-congratulating.

"The so-called 'Superman' doesn't care what America wants. He renounced his citizenship. Every nation's citizenship. How long until this 'ubermensch' sets his eyes on making his own nation? Perhaps right here in Metropolis!?"

Clark couldn't help but laugh at little. Kent knew a lot of politicians in his time. Got a lot of them put in jail or voted out of office. The last thing this farm boy ever wanted was to be sitting behind some desk in Washington. He could already feel the slime. Clark was happier exposing crimes and supporting social justice in his paper, and when he was wearing his cape.

"Anti-business. Anti-capitalist. Anti-American! He says we should rise up and be better. Who defines better? Stalin? Is that why you run around in a workers jumpsuit and RED cape, comrade? Waiting for the revolution? Well, this American is happy buying American, buying Lexcorp!"

And there it was. Back in Kansas, he'd hear this every so often. This small town way of thinking. People in smallville were better than that, to be sure. His parents definitely were. But, they'd see it whenever they'd go out of town. Anything that said we could be better was the enemy. That complacency was the only truly American thing. Funny, Clark remembered this nation being founded in a revolution.

The fact they ended it on an all too blatant advertisement for LexCorp was icing on the cake.

Clark put down the paper with a sigh. Rubbing his tired eyes, he couldn't help but wonder how people buy into this garbage. "It wasn't even listed as an editorial," he muttered.

Eyeing his apartment, Clark found himself drawn to his closet. He was supposed to be getting ready for bed. Print media may be dying, but he wasn't out of a job yet. A journalistp's job is a demanding one filled with 1 hour deadlines and "blink-and-you-miss-it" opportunities. Kent never intended to get rich. He didn't need money. But, if he wanted Percy to keep greenlighting his activist pieces, he needed to keep getting Percy something that would sell.

But, the young Kent didn't need to sleep a full eight hours to be well-rested. Frankly, he didn't need to sleep at all. Opened up a lot of hours in his schedule to fill. And Clark knew exactly how to fill them.

Across the atlantic, the sun was about to come up over Athens. An ancient city with a history grander than most could ever hope to achieve. Now it was the home of a powerful guardian.

"Come on, hurry up!", his sweat clung his balaclava to his face, "the sun is coming up."

The pair were young. Children barely pushing twenty-two, they were posed to make a large amount of money. If only this damn lock would come off.

"I know, I know." The keypad read error again. "I think we were sold a dud. This vault isn't opening, bro."

"There's no way, man. I spent the last of our money on that. The teller said it was his old keycard. It got us in the door. Why can't it get this damn vault open."

"Maybe they changed the lock."

"Or maybe he lied to us. This thing never worked on the damn vault!" The young man held tightly to his gun. It wasn't easy to get one in Greece, but anything is possible if you're desperate enough.

"Or maybe you two should just back away." A woman's voice shot out from behind the young men.

Turning with a start, the young man pointed his gun at the silhouette standing in the doorway. It seemed too tall. Like a statute.

"B-back away! I got a gun! I'll use it!"

"I care not for your toys, boy." The silhouette walked forward. The man could see what looked like a gladius and a hoplon. He'd been up all night. He had to be seeing things.

"Bro, we need to get out of here." The brother had already given up on the keypad. Placing a hand on the gunmen's shoulder, he motioned for them to run away.

"Yes, go. You children don't deserve my justice, nor the justice of men. Leave now and save yourselves."

"Save ourselves? From what? You? W-we ain't got nothing else! Now, s-stop where you are and put down those damn toys. You think I'm afraid of a sword and shield, lady!?"

"You should be." The woman said as she lifted her shield to the light.

As the rising sun reflected on the shield, the boys could see themselves perfectly. They weren't wearing their masks. They weren't wielding weapons. They weren't even their age. They were two kids. Cold, afraid, dirty. Their emaciated bodies a reflection of the cruelty the world shows the less fortunate.

The men found tears welling in their eyes.

"We don't want to do this!" The gunman cried out. "We just needed money. We couldn't find work. We were on our last dollars. Please, we don't want to be criminals."

"I know."

Reaching to her side, the women threw something towards the sobbing boys. Clenching up, the pair closed their eyes. Not feeling anything, the pair wearily opened their eyes. At their feet, there was a wallet.

"Take it. It's mine. You need it, not I. Take it and leave. Promise never to do this again."

Not knowing what to say, the pair picked up the wallet. Inside was not riches, but enough money to get them through the month. They could use this money to get by for the time being. It wasn't salvation, but it was a way out.

Not knowing what to say, the pair put away their weapons and made it to the exit. The silhouette, unmoving, let them pass. As they were about to exit, the former gunmen looked back at their savior.

In the rising sun, he could make her out. Marble shaped like a beautiful woman. Wearing a blue toga and red breastplate lined with gold trimmings, sword and shield in hand. The boy had heard rumours about her, but had never thought they were real.

"Thank you, Wonder Woman." His voice barely a whisper as he exited into the night.

Diana, however, merely looked at the boy's departure with a cold visage.

"They were only boys and they were reduced to thieves." She muttered to herself as she made her own exit. "What kind of world is this?"

Back in Metropolis, Superman gave in to his better angels and found himself high in the night sky.

It was a quiet night tonight. When Superman had started in the city, night patrols were practically mandatory. As he flew past, he remembered the late night robbery he had stopped at 51st avenue. He soared past the suicide he talked down on 32nd street. He paused over the murder he failed to stop last tuesday on 22nd.

Letting the guilt fall to the side, he continued on his patrol. Eventually, he made his way to the docks. There he heard an all too familiar voice.

"Hey, Superman! D'wn here!"

Bibbo. Always a nice surprise. Swooping down, Superman landed in front of the towering dockworker. Clark had met him a few times as both Clark and Superman. It was always a bit disorienting. Being a mountain of a man, Clark would be at eye level with Bibo's chest when he was out of costume. But, when he shifted his shape into Superman, he'd be a head above the old seadog. The change was always more noticeable with the tall ones.

"Bibbo! What are you doing around here? Usually you're off to the bars by now."

Letting out a laugh, Bibbo agreed with the man of steel. "Not tonight, though. Thanks to you, I got good reason to be here."

Superman wasn't sure what he meant.

"Oh, don't act so confused. Like you don't know what you did. If it wasn't for you lumping your support in with local 1420, I'd still be out with the strikers. Now that we actually getting paid for our overtime, me and the boys are doing some double shifts on the docks. Hoping to save up for retirement, ya know? Got some fancy 401k thrown in thanks to ya."

"All I did was give a little speech to let Lex know that I stand with our dock workers. It's you guys who went without pay and risked your livelihood."

As Bibbo gave the man of steel a strong pat on the shoulder, Clark thanked his birth father for his Kryptonian DNA. Anyone else and he was sure Bibbo would have broken his shoulder.

"Always the humble one! I read the planet. I know you've been making the rounds, supes. Helping us little guys out. California, Oregon, Kentucky. It ain't easy being one of us anymore. No degrees and barely scraping by. Especially tough for the young ones. But least we knows we got you on our side, supes."

"Thanks, Bibbo. But I should get back to my patrol. I need to hit the western seaboard and back before dawn."

"That's just like you, supes. Always working." Putting his meaty finger on Super's man symbol, "Just remember, you always got your pal, Bibbo, here if you need me."

"I'll be sure to remember it, pal." He grinned as he flew off on his patrol.

On the other side of the world, in a tiny Tokyo apartment, an animator was fast away at work. Work was pretty grueling in the world of animation. Getting started wasn't easy and, once you were in, you were probably stretched in-between multiple contract jobs. Flexible hours? That's a laugh.

But, it was reality for a young Midori Ota. The girl was fast at work at her computer. She had to get all key frames done for a magical girl show by 4pm if she wanted time to get the inbetween frames done for the shonen battle series on time. She always found herself in this situation, thanks to her other job.

As the siren began flashing in her apartment, she knew exactly what it meant: another late night. Getting up from her desk, most would probably be depressed. Instead, Midori was beaming. Practically dancing to her closet, she opened it up and pulled out her lantern in one motion. Holding the strange, green lantern in her hand, she closed her eyes.

As if it could read her mind, the lantern flew from her hand and merged with her chest. A green light enveloped Midori. With a flash, she was no longer in her sweatpants and tank top, she was floating in a sleek, green and black suit. Complete with a little robin hood mask.

"Alright! Tell me, lanty, what's the problem?"

"Subject: Hitori Iwata. Male. 42. Wanted on: Burglary, Arson, Grand Theft Auto. Spotted by local law enforcement at 10:45 a.m. Calling for backup." The lantern symbol on her chest flashed as this robot voice was beamed directly into her head.

"Awesome! It's always so cool to take down some bad guys who got it coming. With a pow and boom and a woosh." The woman was deep in her twenties, but she spoke like someone in middle school.

Bursting forth from her apartment, she flew across the sky with a green streak. In a matter of seconds, she was floating above the crowded streets of Shinjuku. The ward was home to many things, but the lantern had taken her to Tocho, the "city hall" of Tokyo. Beneath her, a squadron of police cars had lined up in front of the building.

Floating down, the young Midori called out to a familiar face, Officer Hiyoko. The young policewoman merely let out a sigh.

"Hiyoko, what are you up to? Lanty said there was a problem here with a 'Hitori Iwata' so I rushed on over!" The police officer almost facepalmed at how Midori had gesticulated when saying the man's name. The quote fingers didn't even make sense in their language!

"Green Lantern. Great. It's always good when you're here." The other cops tried not to look up. They all knew how Hiyoko had made that mistake and become the hero's 'best friend.'

"Yes, yes! Here to bring peace and justice" The double peace signs made the officers sigh. "Come on, you guys are never fun!"

"I wonder why." Hiyoko said while turning towards the building. "You know, that Hitori Iwata guy, as you said it? He got spooked when two rookies on traffic duty tried to arrest him. He knocked one out and broke the other's arm before storming into Tocho. Now, he's claiming he's got a gun and he'll open fire if we go in there."

Midori was quiet. She's never dealt with a hostage situation before. She'd helped people out of a burning building, got an old man to a hospital, and a few other things. Always minor. Never heard of anyone using a gun before. She could feel a pit forming in her stomach as sweat dripped down her forehead.

"What would Pretty Pretty Magi do?" She looked at her chest in thought.

"Alright!" She exclaimed. "Then, I'm just going to have to show this evildoer the error of his ways! Yeah!"

This was the first thing that got the officers to really react.

"Wait!" Hiyoko screamed. "This is a hostage situation. You are to fall back and let our negotiator deal with it." Realizing what she said, she corrected herself. "You're a civilian. You're not to get involved at all."

"I'm Green Lantern, hero of justice and love! You can trust me, officer!"

"No I can't!" The officer's voice was on the verge of drawing blood. "Do you understand this isn't some stupid cartoon!? There are real people in there! You are not qualified to handle this!"

Midori paused.

"Lanty and I can handle this, Hiyoko." Midori sudden seriousness surprised the officer. "Just trust me"

Green Lantern burst off towards the government building. The officers yelled at her to turn back.

Once inside, Midori looked at her chest. "I know I'm not an actual cop, Lanty. I know I probably should listen to them. But, I got this power and I know I can save those people. I just, I can't not do it, you know? Not when I know I can fix it."

"You have jurisdiction on this planet. I trust your judgement."

"Thanks, Lanty! I know I can always trust you." She said with a smile as wide as the sun. "Now, here's what I need you to look up for me, Lanty."

On the top floor of Tocho, Hitori Iwata stewed and paced the floor. Gun in hand, he looked at the pictures on the wall. "You think you're so special, Mayor?" He turned to the woman sitting in the desk on the other side of the office. "You think you can just sit up here and forget us all down there, huh?"

The woman said nothing.

"I used to be someone, you know? I was pretty good. Salaryman. Worked 24 hours a day for those assholes. Then, what happens? They let me go for no reason. Cutting costs, they said. Out on the street. People like you make those choices. That's why I burnt that place down."

Hirtori turned away to the door and paced.

For the first time, the women responded. "You think that makes you justified?"

Turning back with a start, he immediately pointed his gun at the woman. "What do you know? Huh? What do you know?"

"You worked for Lex Corp, right? Japanese branch. Research and development."

"H-how do you know that?" The man lowered his gun.

"Do you think burning down that building hurt your boss, let alone Lex Luthor? Do you think it even delayed the release of the new Lphone? Who do you think got hurt by that? Who?"

The man was quiet.

"It was people like you who got hurt. I know, I stopped that fire."

The man was startled. Looking up, the mayor was replaced by a young girl. Her garish green attire was offset by her stern expression.

"Five people." She said flatly. "Five people would have died that day. I got them out of that fire. They were ordinary people. They weren't who you were after. They were Makoto Takashi in accounting. They were Hiro Saito in marketing. They were Takeru Nakamaru, a male secretary. They were Ken Yatamoto who was only working that night so he could attend his son's soccer game tomorrow. They were Ichiro Tanaka who liked baseball and KFC at christmas. We kept in touch afterwards. I think he had a crush."

Midori paused. The man looked to the side.

"If I wasn't there, they'd be dead and you'd be a murderer. Today, I plan on saving you again."

Hitori fell into a crouch. Then fell on his end, putting his gun on the floor. "I'm ruined. It's all over." He peered to the gun to his side.

"It's never over, Hitori." She said as she got up from the desk and walked towards Hitori. Kneeling in front of him, she continued. "When I was a little girl, my dad died in an accident. A car crash. The same one left my mom crippled. There wasn't anyone to help us."

The man was looking at her now.

"My mom couldn't hold down a job the way she was. I dropped out of school and started working the moment I could. I thought that would just be my life from that day forward. Working menial jobs and barely getting by."

It was strange, Hitori could swear he wasn't seeing a mask anymore. He wasn't seeing some garish costumed joke come to beat him up. There was someone real there.

"But, you know what helped me? It's going to sound dumb, but it was a cartoon I liked. My dad and I used to watch it together. Pretty Pretty Magi. It was one of those dumb magical girl cartoons. I remembered how the main character was always fearless. Never gave up. Always strived for her dreams. So, I didn't give up. I went back to school and worked myself to the bone, juggling both. It wasn't easy, but I made it work."

Midori reached out her arm.

"I'm not going to lie to you. You are going to jail. But, it's not over. It's going to be tough. It's going to be difficult. It's going to take you to your limits. But, you're going to make it. I'll be sure of that."

Hitori grabbed her hand. She pulled him up to his feet with her.

"Just remember. Whenever things get too tough, just say 'Green Lantern, help me' and I'll come, okay?"

Hitori nodded grimly. Midori put her hands on his cheek. "It's going to be okay, ok?" Hitori nodded again as the pair walked out to the front of the building.

There was shock and surprise when the pair exited the front door. Officer Hiyoko, who was screaming on her walkie talkie for swat, looked up with a befuddled expression.

As Midori gave Hitori over to some officers, Hiyoko started. "How did you manage that? Don't you realize what kind of risk you were taking?"

"Everything a hero does is risky. But, it's better if I do it than someone else. I'm bulletproof after all." She grinned. "Besides, Lanty here told me everything about Hitori before I got there. I knew he wasn't a bad guy. He just needed some help."

"Isn't a bad guy? He burned down a building and almost killed the mayor!"

"Yeah, that is bad." Midori seemed lost in thought. "He's going to have to serve time for it. But, I know he's going to get it together. I have a good read on people, little Hiyoko."

"Don't you dare call me that!" Green Lantern just beamed and flew off, despite Hiyoko's protests.

Over in Nebraska, Clark was continuing to make his rounds. He was a citizen of the world, but his focused would always be his home, America. His normal patrol was to fly across the whole of America and deal with whatever came his way. He knew he couldn't stop every crime. But, the police were more than capable of handling most things. The importance was to be there for people and to help when things were getting out of hand.

It helped that a lot of America was empty. He could prioritize his routes so he hit all the major population centers. Then, he'd alternate the more rural areas based on the day of the week. It kind of bugged the former farm boy that he literally treated a lot of the country as "fly over" country. It was a knife in his small town pride.

But, there was no denying these more rural areas were usually doing just fine. A small number of people often meant less crime. At least not serious crime. Superman wasn't going to stop some drunk kids having a fun night out. Not like he didn't back in the day.

The real issues in these small towns weren't something he could punch. They were factories being relocated. Local business drying up. Ways of life dying out. He'd have to look around later online. Find out what towns were on the edge. See what he could do.

Organizing protests, forming unions, and using Superman's celebrity status and Clark's reporting to put pressure on businesses to do the right thing. But there were limits to these powers. He couldn't save them all and he couldn't focus on everyone at once. There were times he lost and times where he couldn't help everyone. It was a bitter reality for anyone, let alone someone so powerful.

These rural parts of the trip were usually the time were he could close his eyes and just listen.

There was a serenity that came with nature. It was something he fell in love with all the way back in Kansas. The chirping of the grasshoppers. The croaking of the frogs. The grass in the wind. All of it brought peace to the young kryptonian.

Which is all the more reason why he noticed when it stopped. He could hear something else. It sounded like a heart beating fast. No, two. Someone was nervous. In trouble. He could tell.

Burst towards it at high speeds, the man of steel found himself in the middle of an empty field. Nothing was around for miles. To anyone else, it would be completely inocolous. But, Kryptonians were special.

According to the message left by his birth father, Kryptonians had reached a point where technology and biology were practically the same. He had encoded within himself a multitude of abilities that were borderline godlike. For his own safety, Clark was told by Jor-El, his birth father, not to reveal too many of them. That these powers, alongside his aliens origins, must be kept a secret, lest he bring ruin to the world.

But, Clark's father, his real father, had raised him too well. His ma and pa taught him to help others whenever needed. And he couldn't sit on the sidelines and let people suffer when he had the power to do something.

Tuning his eyes to see in the x-ray spectrum, he could see through the ground. Underneath him, there was a large facility. It went on for miles. Tuning his ears to the sound, he found his target. It looked like a prisoner. Locked up tight in a cage.

The facility was crawling with guards and personnel, but none of them seemed government affiliated. Not that it would have stopped Superman. Bad was bad no matter what country you were from.

Following the facility layout from the sky, Clark eventually found a hatch leading to an entrance way. Flying over to it, he found the source of it all. An iron trapdoor reading "PROPERTY OF LEX CORP."

Meanwhile, in New Delhi, someone desperate was working late into the night.

"No," Ananth Patil said in between bites of his hara bhara kababs. "This isn't right."

Finishing the last one, the fit man ducked down and opened a bag of potato crisps. Returning to his white board, he crossed off some of his list. Turning back to his lab, he began fiddling again.

"It can't be that simple." He downed the bag of crisps. Following it up with a soda, he moved to his computer. After all-too-long compiling process, he said "I knew it: that wouldn't work."

Sitting back in his chair, he downed the soda.

"If you keep eating like that, you're going to get fat."

Anath swung around in his chair. "Iris, come to drag me back home?"

"Unless you're planning to marry your lab or Lex Luthor, the last time I checked, I'm still your wife. And I do expect to see my husband from time to time." She said with a laugh.

"Don't worry. Lex is already spoken for with the blue union boy in the states. He has no time for a drab Indian boy in some podunk little subsidiary."

"Ah, and I was looking forward to being rid of you." She put down a bottle of wine. "I mean, who can stay married to a man who would forget his wife's birthday?"

"A woman married to a man as cut and funny as me."

"And what woman is that?" They both laughed. "Is she here? Can I meet her? Can I meet her husband?"

After they calmed down, Anath demeanor changed. "You know I don't mean to miss these things. It's just that I got to cure this thing so we will have a future, Iris. If my metabolism stays like this, you'll be a widow at 40."

The two sat in silence.

Iris put her hand on Ananth's cheek. "Widow at 40 or widow at 100, I'll still be the happiest widow in the world because I was married to you."

Without a word, Ananth kissed his wife. The pair sat together for a bit. Just soaking each other in.

"Come on, Ananth, this wine won't drink itself."

"I think I have a better idea than wine."

"Seriously? Here? In your office? With all these camera?"

"I don't mean in the office."

Leading Iris outside, when they thought they were alone, Ananth lifted his ringed and let a suit pop out of it. In a burst of speed, he had fully dressed himself in his gear. Lifting up Iris, he was off in a flash.

When the doppler effect wore off, Iris could see she was far, far away from New Delphi. And far, far up. It took her a while. The sights were unfamiliar. But, it hit her: the eiffel tower. She was in Paris!

"You did always say you wanted to go to Paris for your birthday." Ananth could barely laugh before Iris had him on his back.

"Get out of this dumb suit already. I want my _other _birthday gift."

Back in Nebraska, Clark knocked out the last guard standing in his way. The rest had either fled or were knocked out on the ground. He never liked doing things like this: violence. It wasn't how he liked to resolve conflicts. He tried to talk them out instead. But, there was no way guards in a secret base were going to sit down for a chat. And there was no way Clark was going to turn his back on an innocent life.

Walking towards the cell, he was floored by how hi-tech everything was. Lex Corp had an aesthetic. Pure white and clean. Lex Luthor believed it helped make him and his products look like the wave of the future. Kent always felt it made it looks like someone spilled bleach in the paint can.

But, this room looked like how he imaged Krypton to be. There was a laser cage, a device that was most likely some sort of teleportation device, and super computers on a scale he'd never seen before. This place was important to Lex. Who was this person?

"Hello," Superman started at the cloaked figure in the cell, "You can call me Superman. I'm a friend."

The cloaked figure continued to sit there.

"I know you probably have no reason to trust me. But I want to help you out. I just need to know who you are and why you're here."

"That's what I would like to know." The figure replied.

Clark was quiet for a second. "Lex Luthor put you here, do you know that?"

"They speak about him a lot. I've heard of him before. Human, like you."

"Not like me, no. I'm a bit more personable than him. And better hair to boot." Maybe a joke would lighten the mood. The way the figure said human had given away a few things. He wasn't willing to stake a wage on it yet, but Clark had a feeling.

"I prefer being bald."

"Well, they do say bald is beautiful."

There was an awkward silence.

"If you know Lex put you here, do you know why?"

"He thinks I'm one of his. Some astronaut called 'John Jones.' But I am no astronaut. I am a free man."

He must think astronaut means slave. "I can see that. And I'll make you free again. But I just need to know something. Are you, from around here?"

There was a pause. "I do not know where he is."

Of course, Lex has probably shown him nothing but this room. "Do you know what Earth is?"

"Earth?"

"It's the third planet from the sun."

"You mean our sister planet." The figure jumped in. His cloak falling back and revealing a bald, green man, lanky and emaciated. "That is where I've been all this time?"

"You're a martian?" After seeing the martian's confused look, Clark continued. "Mars. Fourth planet from the sun."

"It explains so much." The martian continued. "When the Kryptonians came, there was so much rejoicing. But I knew they were going to bring ruin to us. And now I know what they did to silence me. They sent me to our sister world."

"Wait," Superman was shocked, "did you say Kryptonians?"


	2. Secret Origins: Superman

**Backup Secret Origins: Superman**

Space. It stretched on for miles. It's inky black a mirror of Jor-el's carapace. As he stared out to the stars, Jor-el knew that this could very well be the last time he would ever see them.

"Are the preparations ready, my love?" Lara tried her best to break her husbands silence.

"Soon, my dear."

Jor-El turned his gaze towards the rocket he had built. Primitive, conventional, small. It would be crude enough to escape the Colu's wrath. But, he would not be its cargo.

"How is he?" Jor-El did not try to hide his worry.

"He is in stasis."

"It's for the best. The sooner he forgets us the easier his new life will be."

Jor-El's words drew his mind to a simpler time. When the world seemed vast and the glory of his people eternal.

Many eons ago, Jor-El could remember living on Krypton. The jewel of the galaxy, its people had advanced to levels of technology that drew envy from all around them. They had long since ended the distinction between biology and technology.

Every need met. Every desire fulfilled. And an infinite amount of time to spend. Krypton was a utopia.

It was General Zod who originally suggested this infernal mission. That Krypton was selfish to keep its glory to itself. That it had a duty to spread its wealth across the cosmos.

"Is it right that we let other species grow old and die when we know the bounty of never ending life? I say not! The alleged 'New Gods' wished to keep that secret to themselves, but we unlocked it. And their Omega Law is simply a means of keeping that secret where it is, here." Zod was never one to yell. He let his cold gaze drive home his passion. "Where the gift spread, others would throw off the shackles of their oppression as we have and embrace true freedom. So I say, forget Omega Law. Forget the New Gods! Forget the Colu!"

What Zod said was madness, of course. Jor-El knew that all too well now. But Kryptonians thought themselves untouchable at the time. The discover of the Life Equation had given us dominion over all aspects of our biology. We thought it made the New God's anti-life equation and their messengers, the Colu, a non-threat.

If only that were the case.

The martians were chosen due to their isolation. Zod was a warmonger, but not a fool. His expedition, approved by a slim majority, needed to be far from the New Gods' eyes. The sol system could not be further from the Fourth World if it tried. It would be a many days travel even by Boom Tube.

At first, Jor-El refused Zod's offer. Lara was the one who convinced Jor-El to go. Jor-El may have been the foremost expert on xenobiology, but this was a violation of Omega Law, an act of war against the New Gods.

But, Lara was right: Jor-El was the type who would help if he knew he could.

Fat lot of good we did in the end, Jor-El mused.

The life equation gave the martians extraordinary abilities, such as it did ourselves. Their biology reacted differently to it than Kryptonians. Whereas we were made stronger, sturdier, and capable of bending the elements of our body, they stretched further and thinner and grew weaker.

Jor-El remembers postulating to Zod that it was a difference in culture that may have caused the differences. Kryptonians could mildly shift their shape with the life equation, of course. It was mastery of ones body. But one could only ever master maybe one additional shape. Maybe two, if you tried.

The martians were able to change not just their appearance, but their size, shape, and even composition. They could borrow matter from the environment and incorporate it into their own. All of this was in line with their communal culture. They shared with each other and with nature and did not believe in personal property. Their minds were attuned to the idea of being part of a bigger picture.

This was foreign to Kryptonians. They were staunch individualists. A Krpytonian would keep close to their family, maybe a few friends, but little more. With the destruction of tribal thinking on a non-species scale, Krptyonians had no concept of being part of a greater whole. You were you, nothing more. The life equation brought out these traits. A being that lived on its own must be tough. A kryptonian would be made sturdier, faster, stronger, and capable of fleeing even into the sky. To say nothing of the ability to incorporate weapon technology readily into oneself.

This was Jor-El's theory, at least. If nothing else, they had to rewrite the book on how to use the Life Equation to merge biology and technology. Trying to make martians stronger would only make them more fluid.

Sadly, this meant immortality eluded the green people, as far as Jor-El was concerned. Like many Kryptonians, he gave little thought to their belief in a collective consciousness. A common fantasy species offered on a life after death.

Jor-El could only find himself hoping in such a place as he placed his child in the rocket.

"How long will it take?"

Jor-El sighed. "Under conventional propulsion, a thousand years."

Earth would be the child's destination. Jor-El had eyed it as their next potential target. Mars may have been a rough start, but the people of Earth were similar to Kryptonians. While they looked nothing alike, they were clearly individuals at heart. Zod had been pleased when Jor-El concluded humans should respond to the life equation just as Kryptonians did.

Zod seemed too eager to hear such news, Jor-El remembers thinking at the time.

"Maybe they will have advanced by then. Maybe it could be like our home." Lara's voice trailed off as she held back tears.

Home. Krypton. Gone.

The New Gods did not take lightly when they found out what we did. They massacred Krypton. Unmaking it whole. Shattering it and scattering its pieces across the galaxy. Each one made to "unmake" a Kryptonian were it to get close.

And Mars would be next. It was only a matter of time.

"The rocket is fitted with a genetic editor. When he arrives, it will scan the planet for the dominate, intelligent lifeform. It will alter his form to match. To him, that place will have always been home."

"We need to warn him."

"Of course," Jor-El placed an odd crystal next to the sleeping baby. "When he comes of age, this will awaken and tell him everything."

"Not immediately?"

"It's best he gets used to the idea of being human. He'll have to pretend to be one for the rest of his life."

The pair made their peace as the rocket was readied to launch. There were no words to say. The kid would not hear them. They simply had to put their faith in...something that he would reach Earth and someone would care for him.

Silently, the pair watched as their child flew off to parts unknown. They would never know if he made it. They would never know of the great deeds he would do. He would never know of the hero he would become.

They were Jor-El and Lara-El. They were the parents of Kal-El.

But they were not the parents of Superman.

A thousand years later, on planet Earth, a couple drove away from a hospital in silence. The woman was young and in her twenties. She tried not to look to the man to her right. He was the first to break the silence.

"I still love you, Martha."

Martha said nothing.

"I don't mean that I would not love you over this. I know it's what you're thinking, though. And it's okay, Martha."

The woman spoke with a weak voice. "It's not okay."

"Ah hell, ol' Pete ain't the best doctor. He may have been wrong. We could always get a second opinion."

"Please, John."

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. But, we can always adopt. I know you want kids. But, it'll be the same. There a bunch of little kids just looking for a ma and a pa."

Martha didn't look at her husband. When the doctor gave her the news, it took the wind out of her. They had been trying for kids for some time. They thought they just needed a little help. She never thought the problem would be unfixable. That she'd never have kids of her own.

The silence was broken by an explosion. John's protests and Martha's screams were deafened as their pick-up almost skidded off the road.

Pulling over to the side, Martha was the first to get out of the car. Something drew her to the epicenter. Some would call it maternal instinct. Others may thank Jor-El's machinations.

As she approached the pod, a light shot out and covered the woman in a flash of white. Blinding her, it took a second for her vision to adjust. In that time, the rocket got to work. Altering and changing Kal-El to mirror his new mother.

When she could see again, she was floored to see a baby boy wrapped in a red cloth. While some could argue Jor-El brought her here, this feeling now was all her own: love. The second she saw the child's eyes she knew she'd never let anything harm him. That she would do anything for him. That she was his son.

"Be careful, Martha." John was careful as he followed Martha into the pit. "Could be one of those russian experiments. Sputnik or something."

"It isn't no russian satellite." Martha held the baby carefully as she turned to her husband. "It's a boy."

John Kent could only look up to the sky and think it was a miracle.

They were John and Martha Kent. They were simple farmers with a simple life. There was nothing anyone could say was really special or unique about them.

They were simply good people. And they were the parents of Clark Kent. They were the parents of Superman.

Clark Kent grew to be a healthy boy. He never showed any truly special characteristics. He was a little smarter than the other boys. A little faster. A little stronger. But nothing strange. He still played football with the other kids and made sure to be back by dinner

It was during his 16th birthday when everything would change.

Clark was the quarterback of the Smallville crows. John himself used to play for the team. Taught his son everything he knew. He couldn't be more proud of his boy.

It was the last game of the season. If Clark won this, he would take his team to the nationals. As the rising star neared the goal zone, a mountain of a man jumped in his way. For anyone else, this would be the end of the run and the end of the season. But Clark blasted the behemoth to the side with one arm and sent him flying.

While the crowd cheered for their champion, Ma and Pa Kent knew it was time.

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"Son, I know it sounds crazy. But its the truth. We found you one day." John tried his best to be reassuring.

"No, no. This is a joke. I can't be some moonman. I'm Clark. I'm a Kent." His voice grew weak. "I'm your son."

Ma gave her son a hug. "Honey, nothing like this could ever change that. You'll always be our son."

John waited till the boy let his mom go before continuing. "We just want you to know that you are a little different than the others. We don't want you hurting nobody."

"Mark wasn't hurt" Clark was alluding to the brick wall he had dismantled on the playing field. "A little shaken up, but not hurt."

"I know, son. And I'm glad that's that. But if ya don't know what you can do, then who knows when something like that could happen again. And turn out worse."

Clark was a little confused. If they had just found him in a rocket, how would they know what he could do.

"Well, your father and I don't right know either. But we thought maybe we could work that out together. Maybe see if anything that came with it might trigger something in you."

Not wasting any more time, the family walked to their shed to look at the wreckage. The second Clark entered, however, the rocket began to whirl to life.

The crystal that had been in its cockpit all these years began to shake violently. Glowing bright white, it flashed. The family found themselves in a white void.

In front of them, a creature stood. It looked almost like a lobster had merged with a person.

"Do not be alarmed." The creature spoke. "I am Jor-El of Krypton. This message is for my son, Kal-El."

No one was more shocked than Clark. The boy had grown to be rather handsome and rugged. To find out his people looked so repulsive was a hit to his ego.

"I imagine this form may be shocking to you. According to my scans of the planet, we look similar to undersea life on this world. If the rocket did its job, you should look like a human and should only know that form. I hope you aren't disappointed."

"That's not the half of it."

"Be nice, boy. He's your pappy."

"No, dad, he isn't."

"I wish I could see you. I wish I could tell you so much about what you are. But I don't have a lot of time to make this message. So know this: you are the last son of Krypton. Our world is gone and this colony will soon follow. You will find yourself to possess abilities far above those of your world. Do not abuse them. Were the word to get out that you were an alien, especially a Krpytonian, it could be the Colu to your world. And with them, the ruin of both you and your new home."

John and Martha took this harder than Clark. They had expected some strange story. But to know their son could bring ruin to the world was a surprise. But that feeling passed. Nothing could make them regret raising their boy.

"Kal-El. I pray you are alive to read this message. You are the hope of our people. Survive and prosper."

Just as the recording finished, the roomed returned to normal. The crystal had shattered.

The Kents spent the rest of the night decompressing. It was a lot to take in.

Over the next few days, the family began to experiment with Clark's powers. They knew they had to know more if they were going to keep a secret.

Clark was strong to lift a tractor overhead. He was fast enough to make to the end of the wheatfield and back in 4 seconds. When Clark leaped over the house, he was shocked to find he never had to come down.

The stranger things were the little powers. Clark no longer needed to sleep. He found he no longer got hungry or thirsty. And wounds would heal quickly.

After a long six months, the family had all reached the same conclusion.

"I can't just hide."

"We know." His parents had made up their mind on what to say last night.

"You always taught me to help others. With these kinds of powers, I could do so much."

"And that's exactly what we know you're going to do."

Clark was happy his parents agreed. But they all knew it had to be a secret. Not just being an alien, but Clark having these powers at all.

"I would go crazy if everyone knew."

While John and Martha suggested a costume, Clark tried experimenting with his powers. With time, Clark found he could change his form slightly. It wasn't enough to be useful in a fight, but he was able to make an alternate form. He was already tall and muscular. So, he shrunk himself. Changed his hair from black to brown. And made himself thin and noodly.

The first time Martha saw him, she nearly fainted. Not that he looked bad, of course. But any mother would have trouble seeing her son change so drastically.

"I think this should be my 'alter-ego.' My form for going out-and-about. I don't think I could make a form that looked more super."

John knew something was missing. Looking in his draw, he found an old pair of glasses and gave them to Clark.

"Here, this ought to complete the look."

With the look of "Clark Kent" down, the rest came easy. Martha altered some old workers clothes into a jumpsuit. The blanket he wore as a baby was turned into his cape. The shield it bore was copied onto the chest of the suit. A simple getup. More steelworker than anything else.

Time passed and the young Clark found himself a graduate. He knew it was time to go out there and use his powers for good. And no where better to start then Metropolis. A big city filled with people who needed his help.

"Be careful, son." Martha was trying to keep herself composed.

"Don't forget to write." John hid it better, but he was torn up seeing his son off.

"Don't worry, ma. Don't worry, pa." Clark waved goodbye as he let his feet leave the ground.

There was no way that young Clark Kent could ever imagine how insane his life would get. The amazing deeds he had yet to perform. All the people he would save.

The world was a big place. It was full of problems. But also full of good people.

None of the Kent could know it yet. But this was the birth of Superman.


End file.
